Mehta: 'Lisa Ray is a portrait of courage'

Lisa Ray has been praised by director Deepa Mehta for being courageous in the face of incurable illness.

The actress announced last week that she has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the plasma cells.

Mehta, who worked with Ray on Water and Bollywood/Hollywood, told IANS: "I knew about her illness two months ago. She told me. It was hard to believe. She wanted to keep it very private, and rightly so. Only her close friends and family knew.

"Which is why when Lisa blogged about her illness, I was surprised. It was very courageous of her."

He added: "I think she decided that by coming out in the open about the illness she would not only be able to confront and overcome the sad situation but also encourage others in similarly troubled spaces to fight and win over their illness."

Ray will next appear in Cooking with Stella, a film directed by Mehta's brother Dilip.